Measurement of nebuliser suction and its significance

Abstract

A pressure transducer is much more convenient than a mercury manometer for nebuliser suction measurements. It has been shown that changes in suction and atomic-absorbance readings are related, and both depend upon aspiration rate, as does the pressure transducer signal. It was therefore possible, by feeding the pressure transducer and atomic-absorption signals into a BBC computer, to obtain immediate warning of drift in aspiration rate or to compensate continuously for such drift. Although the continuous correction method works, poor precision was encountered due to changes in aerosol characteristics and transport efficiency.